When the Colorado Avalanche’s season ended last month with a loss to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs, defenseman Mark Barberio took off to visit his sister in San Francisco.

A trip to California seemed to be the perfect way to get a much-needed break from hockey.

After hanging out in and around Silicon Valley, the 28-year-old native of Montreal went home for Mother’s Day, spending time with his parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

Although he was an unrestricted free agent, Barberio was reasonably confident he’d be back with the Avalanche when the puck dropped on the 2018-19 season.

On Tuesday, the deal was done as he signed a two-year contract worth $1.45 million per campaign.

“I wasn’t really ever worried. I had a feeling that I was going to get a deal done. When I left at the end of the season after the meetings, they were very positive on both sides,” Barberio said Tuesday. “I told them right...